Pages

Sunday, 15 March 2015

THATCHER ROBINSON - BLACK KARMA (2014)

Synopsis/blurb……

Bai Jiang—San
Francisco’s best-known souxun (“people finder”)—is hired to track down the
mysterious Daniel Chen. Police inspector Kelly suspects Chen of being involved
in a botched drug heist that resulted in the death of an officer. Bai has her
own suspicions. She thinks the police
just want to see Chen dead.

Her investigation
leads Bai into deadly intrigue as she finds herself caught between
international intelligence agencies and merchants of war, who deal in death,
drugs, and high-jacked information.

To make matters
worse, she's thirty-something and dating again. It's not easy juggling a suitor
with family connections, a brazen young man who finds her irresistible, and her
ex--the father of her child.

World conflict and
family strife explode as adversaries face off in San Francisco's Chinatown, a
world away from the one we know.

My second time with author Thatcher Robinson and his souxun – Bai Jiang. The author’s debut novel – White Ginger was enjoyed back in October, 2013. (I hadn't realised
it was quite as long ago as that!) Review
here.

Bai and her friend, Lee are approached by Detective Kelly of
the SFPD for their help in tracking down a missing Chinese-American who is
wanted in connection with a drug deal gone bad. This resulted in a cop-killing.
Both drugs and a sizeable sum of police money have gone missing and Chen is a
POI. Kelly with a fondness for the drink is a barely functioning alcoholic. Bai
and Lee are naturally suspicious of the request, but with her Buddhist
philosophy and her personal karma to consider, Bai agrees to look into the
matter, if it means she can help save a life.

The search sees Bai crossing swords with a vicious Hispanic
gang member, Rafe from the notorious Nortenos. Further enquiries point them in
the direction of the University of California at Berkeley where Chen teaches.
Two dead Norteno gang members await them on arrival.

In the mean-time, Bai has complications on the home front.
She is being touted for marriage by her “mother” Elisabeth, to the wholly
unsuitable and indifferent Howard Kwan. Elisabeth is actually the estranged mother
of Jason. Jason is the father of Bai’s daughter and a ranking member for the Sun
Yee On triad. Jason and Bai are still caring and friendly towards each other,
but aren't a couple. Howard is actually Jason’s cousin and is hoping a marriage,
something being driven by his controlling mother Jade (estranged from her
sister Elizabeth also), Jade will secure him the presidency of their
multi-billion dollar company at the expense of his two feckless brothers……. still
with me?

A further death follows and with Bai humiliating Rafe while
adding another waif and stray to her family unit, and Lee getting shot while
tailing a mysterious man in black, the pace ramps up a couple of notches.

The case and our proposed nuptials, play out satisfactorily;
though not without moments of genuine terror. Great characters, especially
Bai’s family dynamic. By the conclusion, I had found myself warming to one
member that was extremely irritating to me at the start. Bai herself is warm, engaging, funny and
capable and someone I want to read more about in the future.

I loved the setting as well – San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Robinson’s prose is probably the closest I’ll get to visit the city, which will
do for me.

Moments of great humour throughout, particularly when Kelly
strolls into Bai’s office….

Kelly put the pint
carefully back inside his coat before taking a sip. “Aah….” A smile spread
across his face. “Nothing like a little Irish to start your day.”

Her brows lifted. “I
can only assume you’re referring to the whiskey.”

His eyes narrowed as
his face squeezed into a jaundiced grin. “Either one would put a smile on your
face.”

She frowned. “It’s
really sad when you can’t tell the difference between a smile and a grimace.”

He stared at her a
moment before shrugging off the comment. “I’d rather have a bottle in front of
me than a frontal lobotomy.”

“Seems a little late
to change your mind,” Lee observed.

Moments of sadness and regret at the demise of……. I’m not
saying – you’ll have to read it to find out who!

10 comments:

I read the first of these - did you kindly send it to me, I can't remember - and liked it (though I don't seem to have blogged on it). I too love a San Francisco and Chinatown setting, so I should move on to this one.

Synopsis/blurb…… Rennie Beckman is a dishonored ex-cop with only two things on his mind: his new boat, the Triggerfish, and his hot...

Search This Blog

CATCHING UP WITH MY WIFE AND SON

Harlan Coben - Just One LookHarlan Coben - Stay Close

Tess Gerritsen - Last To Die

Jess Walter - The Financial Lives Of The Poets

Zoran Drvenkar - Sorry

Julia Crouch - Cuckoo

Wiley Cash - A Land More Kind Than Home

Gavin Extence - The Universe Versus Alex Woods

Oliver Stark - American Devil

Harlan Coben - The Innocents

David Mitchell - Cloud AtlasChuck Palahnuik - Fight Club

Aldous Huxley - Brave New World

Charlie McDowell - Dear Girls Above Me

10 behind my wife............she's getting away from me! 4 behind my son! I reckon I can reel her back in during the second half of the year!Not always my cup of tea - but I like reading what my better half has read, I find it promotes some learned discourse over the dinner table!